Larger accelerator programs run cohorts of 40 to 100 founders plus mentors, staff, and partners. The demo day shirt order alone can be 80 to 150 pieces. Here is how to handle the bulk pitch day shirt workflow when the program needs every attendee in matching apparel for the photo.
Accelerator bulk orders are typically 50 to 300 pieces of a single product (often the demo day tee or the cohort hoodie). That is bulk by accelerator standards but smaller than the 1000+ piece runs that traditional bulk apparel shops optimize for.
The Pro Shops model treats every order at the same per-piece price, so what counts as bulk for an accelerator is structurally easier than for a true-bulk customer. There are no volume tier negotiations, no setup fees, and no minimum-order-value cliffs.
Most bulk accelerator orders fall into these size brackets:
Option 1: Ship to the venue. Place a single bulk order shipping to the demo day venue or program office. Distribute on the day or at the cohort dinner the night before. Works for in-person programs with a central venue.
Option 2: Ship per-founder direct. Share the shop link with the cohort. Each founder enters their own address, picks their own size, and the shirt ships direct. Works for remote and hybrid cohorts.
Hybrid pattern: ship the cohort hoodie per-founder a month before demo day, and ship the demo day tee bulk to the venue. Founders show up in their cohort hoodie, change into the demo day tee at the venue for the pitch and photo.
Bear Grips Pro Shops: Custom Apparel for Your Team. No Minimums. Free Shipping.Production runs in about a week per order at any volume. Shipping adds 2 to 5 business days depending on destination. For demo day timing, here is the safe lead time.
| Order Size | Production Time | Recommended Order Date |
|---|---|---|
| 50 to 80 pieces | 5 to 7 business days | 3 weeks before demo day |
| 100 to 150 pieces | 7 to 10 business days | 3.5 weeks before demo day |
| 200 to 300 pieces | 10 to 14 business days | 4 weeks before demo day |
Build a 1-week buffer on top of the recommended date for safety. Anything between recommended and 1 week of buffer covers shipping delays or last-minute size changes.
The same shop holds the cohort hoodie, the demo day tee, the staff polo, the mentor quarter-zip, and the alumni shirt. The bulk pitch day order is just one product on the same shop that founders, mentors, staff, and alumni all already use.
This means the program does not run a separate "bulk pitch day order" project. The product is already live. You place the bulk order through the standard shop interface, specify the shipping address, and the order produces and ships like any other.
For programs running multiple bulk orders per cohort cycle (one for orientation, one for demo day, one for the after-party), the workflow stays the same for each. Same shop, same products, different shipping destinations.
Same per-piece price at 50 or 300 pieces. Order 3 weeks before demo day for the safe lead time.
Start FreeThe VIP plan base price is the bulk price. There are no additional tiered discounts. For a 200-piece order versus a 20-piece order, the per-piece price is the same.
Yes. Bulk orders can be paid by invoice with net-30 terms on the VIP plans. Talk to your assigned advisor for invoicing setup.
For accelerator demographics, a standard mix runs roughly 10 percent S, 25 percent M, 30 percent L, 25 percent XL, 10 percent 2XL. Adjust based on your cohort sizing data from the previous batch.
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